1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a glove shaping device, and more particularly to a glove shaping device, which is capable of shaping a glove (golf gloves, dress gloves or sports gloves etc.) without wrinkles formed during the sewing process and has a temperature control unit to easily make a temperature of the device suitable one for various kinds of gloves.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, people wear gloves to protect their hands while carrying out manual work. Gloves are used in the various fields of industry or various types of sports. The gloves have various shapes depending on intended use and the type of material (e.g., natural leather, synthetic leather or textile).
Gloves are fabricated by cutting and sewing processes, but the gloves used for golf or formal occasions require another shaping processes (e.g., ironing) in accordance with their characteristics. Accordingly, in order to meet this requirement, some glove shaping devices have been used. Examples of such glove shaping devices currently used are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.
First of all, the glove shaping device shown in FIG. 1 is developed and mainly used in Japan. This glove shaping device 1 comprises a plurality of elongated heating plates 4, in which their top edges are roundly-shaped and their lower portions are secured to one another by a plurality of screws 2.
The glove shaping device shown in FIG. 2 is developed and mainly used in the United States. This glove shaping device 1′ comprises a plurality of heating plates 6 each having an oval sectional shape, coils 9 for heating the heating plates with certain temperature and a main body 8 having an electric heater (not shown) for generating heat.
Shaping processes utilizing the conventional glove shaping devices 1 and 1′ described above are explained below. For the former device 1, heating plates 4 arranged and fixed by screws 2 are heated up to a certain temperature by using separate heating means (e.g., electric stove, heater, etc.), and then the wrinkled and sewn portions of a glove are shaped while the heating plates 4 are inserted into the finger portions of the glove.
For the latter device 1′, coils 9 (and also heating plates 6) are heated up to a certain temperature by using the electric heater provided in the main body 8 and then the wrinkled and sewn portions of a glove formed during the cutting and sewing processes and shaped while the heating plates 6 are inserted into the finger portions of the glove.
However, the glove shaping device shown in FIG. 1 has the following drawbacks.
First, since a separate heating means is required to heat and shape the wrinkled and sewn portions of the glove, the work is troublesome and the work efficiency is lowered.
Second, since the heating plates that heat and shape the finger portions of the glove while being inserted into the finger portions are made in the form of overlapped sheets, contact between neighboring heating plates occurs.
Accordingly, the finger portions of the glove become overlapped with each other at their side edges, and the overlapped portions are overheated. Because of the overheating of the overlapped portions, the material (e.g., leather or textile) itself tightly adheres to the heating plates, or a deformation occurs. Further, the quality of the product becomes deteriorated.
Third, when the heating plates of the conventional glove shaping device are heated to a certain temperature by means of separate heating means, it is not possible to adjust the temperature of the heating plates to a certain temperature (e.g., leather: about 70-80° C., textile: about 150° C.).
Therefore, upon the overheating of the heating plates, the problems concerned with overheating as described above occur. When the heating plates are insufficiently heated to less than a certain temperature, the heating and shaping processes are not conducted smoothly, and the temperature of the heating plates are not kept constant but is lowered with time. The heating and shaping processes to the glove are not performed sufficiently. In this regard, the productivity of the conventional glove shaping device is lowered, and the power consumption of the conventional shaping device is high.
Fourth, since the heating plates, which are being heated to a relatively high temperature by separate heating means, are inserted into the finger portions of the glove, shaping work is difficult and the safety of the workers is not guaranteed. That is, accidents, such as a burn, may easily occur.
In the case of the glove shaping device shown in FIG. 2, it is possible to heat and keep the heating plates at a certain temperature by means of the electric heater provided in the main body, without separate heating means. For this reason, this shaping device has an advantage in heating and shaping the glove sufficiently.
However, since the heating plates of this conventional glove shaping device, which are inserted into the finger portions of the glove, each have an oval sectional shape, the wrinkled and sewn portions of the glove are shaped poorly, thereby deteriorating the quality of products and not meeting the user's expectations. Particularly, in the case of a golf glove, the glove does not fit closely to the fingers, so the sensitivity of the hand is reduced, thereby negatively affecting a user's game, such as by causing a putting irregularity.